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gmurray56

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  1. gmurray56

    Final Flights

    By gmurray56,

    Well, I think I have almost exhausted the recreation of my flying days. There are still a few flights I did not re-fly, and there are a few planes I did not revisit (including retractable versions of the Saratoga and Cherokee 180.) I may still fly those flights on the computer, but I will not blog them. I have decided to wrap this up by recreating my final flights in the planes I flew the most.
     
    Cessna 150/152: This was the first plane I flew, but I realize I do not have one for FS2004. (I had used FSX when I started the blog.) I quickly locate and download a version. Spawning on the runway with the engine running, I look around this “new†plane. The cockpit view is missing a couple of instruments, but the virtual cockpit is fully functional. The virtual cockpit also gives a sense of how small and cramped the cabin is. I set the heading bug on the DG, and depart Angleton on a course of 299â°. Up in the air, I go to the chase plane view and look at the little Cessna from every direction. Behind me I can see the Gulf of Mexico in the distance; ahead, miles and miles of Texas. I’m not sure why I had done a touch-n-go in Eagle Lake, other than it was on the route, but I successfully replicate locating the airport, entering the pattern, landing and returning back on course. Closer to Austin, I recognize some features on the ground: Highway 71; the winding Colorado River; and, the Smithville airport with the rising terrain at one end of the runway. There is no speeding up the sim rate or moving along the route on the map for this cross-country. Eventually, Austin Executive comes into view. I enter the pattern, but get distracted by a Piper Comanche a few miles in front of me and extend the base leg a little long. I have to turn back to get lined up on final, but manage to straighten it out and land on the narrow runway. I taxi to the only building, pull back on the mixture, turn off the avionics and main switches, and turn off the magnetos. Final flight in the C150.
     
    VIRTUAL LOGBOOK:
    C150 HB-SCA (FS2004)
    From: KLBX (Brazoria County, Texas) To: KEGL (Eagle Lake, Texas) To: 3R3 (Austin Executive, Texas)
     
    LOGBOOK:
    June 24, 1990
    C152 N6571L
    From: LBX (Brazoria Co., Angleton) To: EGl (Eagle Lake) To: 3R3 (Austin Executive)
    SEL 1.9 hrs (Total Time In Type: 29.6 hrs)
     
    Cessna 172: I appear on the runway at Austin Executive pointing north. Everything appears to be working, so I depart straight out for a few touch-n-go’s. I quickly climb straight ahead a thousand feet, and can see the departure runway out the back window. Left turn to the west, then turn south to parallel the runway. I can see the Austin skyline in the distance. Abeam the place on the runway where I had just started, I pull the throttle all the way back. When the speed slows down to the white arc on the airspeed indicator, I apply flaps. When the runway is 45° behind my left shoulder, I turn east while descending. More flaps, and I turn back to the north to line up on final. I have to adjust the throttle to maintain speed and altitude and worry a little about the electrical transmission lines in front of me. The 172 is very solid, and the landing is good. I raise the flaps, push in the throttle, and repeat the process two more times. Again, I taxi off the runway and shut down the engine before exiting the program. Last flight in the Cessna 172.
     
    VIRTUAL LOGBOOK:
    C172 N176CM (FS2004)
    From: 3R3 (Austin Executive, Texas) To: Local
     
    LOGBOOK:
    July 11, 1990
    C172 N6601D
    From: 3R3 (Austin Executive) To: Local
    SEL .5 hrs (Total Time In Type: 11.5 hrs)
     
    Cherokee 140: This is a very familiar cockpit. The sim has a worn look, which is appropriate. From the outside, the Cherokee looks squatty and slightly ugly, but I never saw it that way. I take off from Bremerton and the scenery is just beautiful. The Olympic Mountains are right there. I see the famous floating pontoon bridge across the Hood Canal and the submarine base at Bangor, but no subs. I fly over the Bremerton shipyards where I saw the mighty Missouri battleship, but there are no warships. I do see ferries and cargo vessels in the Puget Sound, and the skyline of Seattle, including the Space Needle. The Cascade Range is in the distance. I turn back toward Port Orchard and Vashon Island and cruise along the coast. I look for Mt. Rainier, but as in real life, sometimes it hides. At the bottom of the Hood, I turn back into the Kitsap Peninsula and back towards the airport. I fly a right-hand pattern for the north runway and extend the flaps on the base leg. (The electric motor noise is wrong. The Cherokee flaps are deployed manually by a lever between the seats.) I have a nice landing and taxi to the ramp to park beside what looks like an Otter on amphibious floats. Mixture lean, mains off, mags off. Final flight in the Cherokee 140.
     
    VIRTUAL LOGBOOK:
    PA28-140 OYDHD (FS2004)
    From: KPWT (Bremerton, Washington) To: Local
     
    LOGBOOK:
    October 3, 1995
    PA28-140 N55633
    From: PWT (Bremerton, Washington) To: Local
    SEL .5 hrs (Total Time In Type: 580.2 hrs)
     
    Beech Duchess: I spent a lot of time and money getting my multiengine license, only to give up flying all together. Oh, well. I haven’t spent a lot of time on the simulator Duchess, mainly because there is no airspeed indicator, no tachs, and no dual throttles on my Flightsim yoke. But, I can get it to fly. I start on the runway at Georgetown and lift off near the end. I retract the gear and turn to the east to fly around a bit. The GPS works, which gives me a groundspeed indication. I maneuver a bit and enjoy the views, then head back to the airport. I get lined up, reduce power, lower the gear, and lower the flaps. There is not enough control authority to flare, though, and I crash on the runway. I spawn in the air, and line up again. With elevator trim, I’m able to hold the nose up and land. I taxi to the gas pump, and find I am able to shut down each engine individually using E1 and E2 and the mixture. Maybe there is more to explore with this sim, but this ends the recreation of my last flight in a Duchess.
     
    VIRTUAL LOGBOOK:
    BE76 GBOFC (FS2004)
    From: KGTU (Georgetown, Texas) To: Local
     
    LOGBOOK:
    August 31, 1999
    BE76 N3733G
    From: KGTU (Georgetown, Texas) To: Local
    MEL 1.0 hrs (Total Time in Type: 44.8 hrs)
     
    Piper Saratoga: This was a great plane, and the Cherokee 6 is a great sim. I start on the runway at Georgetown and fly south along Interstate 35 at 2500 feet. I pass Austin Executive and Austin Bergstrom airports, then drop below 1000 feet to fly between the skyscrapers of downtown Austin. I turn west and fly over Lake Travis before turning back to Georgetown. The cockpit, virtual cockpit, and chase plane views are all great. I enter the pattern for KGTU and fly a nice downwind, base, and final, but damned if I don’t crash just a few feet short of the runway. I immediately fly another circuit just to prove I can do it. I taxi to the hangars and take one last look inside and out before I pull the mixture and turn off the mags and the mains.
     
    VIRTUAL LOGBOOK:
    PA32-300 N30062 (FS2004)
    From: KGTU (Georgetown, Texas) To: Local
     
    LOGBOOK:
    September 23, 1999
    PA32-301 N8213Z
    From: KGTU (Georgetown, Texas) To: Local
    SEL 1.5 hrs (Total Time in Type: 301.7 hrs)
     
    Grob109B Motoglider: This was my last flight as pilot in command. I almost forget to use the joystick instead of the yoke for this recreation. It has been a while since I flew this sim, but everything looks familiar. I take off from Georgetown Municipal and fly west, climbing to 5000 feet. The forward airspeed is slow, but the vertical airspeed is like an elevator. At altitude, I shut off the engine and (after fumbling a bit) feather the prop. There is no lift to be found, but I make lazy circles as I slowly descend. At 1000 feet, I restart the engine and try to find my way back to the airport. I see that I am pretty far away, so climb again and soar again before restarting much closer to the runway. I make a power landing using the speed brakes. I turn around on the runway (because the rudder works so well with the joystick), then taxi to the terminal. One last look around before shutting it down.
     
    VIRTUAL LOGBOOK:
    Grob109 ZH268 (FS2004)
    From: KGTU (Georgetown, Texas) To: Local
     
    LOGBOOK:
    June 18, 2000
    Grob109B N309BG
    From: KGTU (Georgetown, Texas) To: Local
    Glider 1.5 hrs (Total Time in Type: 20.7 hrs)
     
    I hope you have enjoyed flying along with me as I re-lived some adventures. I also hope that some may be inspired to recreate their own adventures, or maybe try flying a real plane. If I can do it, you can. Yanking and banking in a supersonic fighter is a hoot, but just flying around the pattern in a single engine plane is also challenging and rewarding. Please leave a comment if you enjoyed the blog. Happy flying!
  2. gmurray56
    It dawns on me that I have the Cessna 172 on both programs, and can recreate my real C172 flights on both platforms and compare the experience. I start with the FSX at Austin Mueller and head for Taylor, just a few miles to the north. Everything seems normal, except the long take-off roll and some ground handling difficulty. The settings were the same I have been using, with brown and green out the window, generally identifiable landmarks, and sparse buildings. After landing, I reset the graphics to high and take off from Mueller again and head south to San Marcos. This time, the airport has hangars, there are buildings and trees all over the place, and I even find the state capitol building downtown. The only problem is, the simulation is incredibly slow to respond to any inputs and even freezes up occasionally. Not realistic!
     
    I close FSX and open FS2004. I have not messed with the settings at all, and it is very detailed, with seasonal trees and a more textured aircraft. The views change quickly, and scroll seamlessly. I fly from San Marcos to Austin, easily following the freeway. The scenery below is not super detailed, but the city has buildings and the rivers and transmission towers are where they should be.
     
    I go back to FSX and change all the scenery settings to low, then spawn at Austin Executive in the C172 with the glass cockpit. This time, the view is all brown, with no buildings at all, but the highways and runways are well represented. The glass gauges take a little getting used to, but the view changes and scrolling are quick. I easily find my way back to Austin Mueller.
     
    So, with my 10-year-old Dell running Vista, the FS2004 seems the better choice. Since most of my flights are VFR, it is important to be able to look out the window and see more than just a drab, featureless landscape. However, a smooth simulation is also important. The FSX works fine with settings in the middle, and there is always the option of getting a newer computer.
     
    VIRTUAL LOGBOOK
    Cessna 172: FSX v. FS2004
    C172 G-BAFM (FSX); N176CM (FS2004); N700MS (FSX)
    From: KATT (Austin Mueller, Texas)
    To: T74; T98; 3R3; KATT (Taylor, San Marcos, Austin Executive, Austin Mueller)
    Landings: 4
    SEL: 2.1 hrs.
     
    LOGBOOK
    3/31/1990: C172 N9627V AUS-T74-AUS 1.0 hrs., 4 landings
    3/16/1990: C172 N4980D AUS-T98-AUS 1.6 hrs., 5 landings
    4/8/1990: C172 N75931 3R3-LCL 1.3 hrs., 6 landings
  3. gmurray56
    A direct route from North Las Vegas to Double Eagle Airport in Albuquerque, New Mexico took me over the Hoover Dam and parts of the Grand Canyon, and near the Meteor Crater. This is a recreation of that flight on FS2004.
     
    I depart KVGT in the daytime, and cannot resist taking another low-level tour of the Strip. This time I see even more, including Big Ben, the Statue of Liberty, the Sphinx, and a billboard featuring Siegfried, Roy, and a white tiger. The attention to detail is impressive. I turn on course and see Hoover Dam in front of me. It seems to be taking forever to get to it, so I crank up the speed to 4x. I fly over the dam and the lake, and spy what appear to be sharp peaks in the distance. As I get closer, the “peaks†resolve into canyon walls. The Grand Canyon! Again I take advantage of the fact that this is a simulator and my recreations do not have to be exact, so I dip down into the canyon. It is very cool. I twist and turn above the Colorado River, forgetting that I am still at 4x speed. It does not take too long to crash.
     
    I spawn again at North Las Vegas and take off again. This time I even “talk†to Las Vegas Approach and fly over the Dam at 5,500 feet, then climb up to 9500 feet. Even this high, the Grand Canyon is impressive. I drone along and increase the sim rate, with nothing below but brown, orange and red. I go to the map and move further along the route, near where Meteor Crater should be. I look and look, but do not see anything that can definitely be called a crater. I see a circular lake in the distance, but I do not recall any water in the real crater. Maybe that was it, maybe I missed it, or maybe Microsoft did not put it in. I continue on my route over the monotonous terrain, eventually approaching Albuquerque. More clouds form, and there are updrafts and downdrafts. The GPS indicates Double Eagle is right in front of me, but I do not see it. Finally, I spot a couple of long, long runways and make a hot, bouncy landing at the mile-high airport. (My actual logbook entry mentions the clouds and turbulence, and I apparently had a hard time spotting the airport in real life, too. So, the simulation was spot on.)
     
    VIRTUAL LOGBOOK:
    PA32-300 N30062 (FS2004)
    From: KVGT (North Las Vegas, Nevada) To: KAEG (Double Eagle, Albuquerque, New Mexico)
     
    LOGBOOK:
    May 5, 1997
    PA32-301 N8213Z
    From: VGT (North Las Vegas) To: AEG (Double Eagle, Albuquerque)
    SEL 3.5 hrs
  4. gmurray56
    When I flew this leg in the real Saratoga, the lights of Las Vegas were so vast and so bright that I lost sight of the airport amidst the glow. In FS2004, the lights are not quite so bright, but Las Vegas at night is a definite must-see for any simulator fan. With the Saratoga, I felt more comfortable going over mountains, so I took a more direct route from Washington to Texas. The first leg was from Bremerton to Red Bluff, California, to Hawthorne, Nevada. This leg was from Hawthorne to North Las Vegas Airport.
     
    I know that my arrival should be in the dark, so I set the departure time for “duskâ€. I assumed I would start on the runway at Hawthorne, but the takeoff aims me right at some trees, which I barely clear. (When I went back “in the daytime†I saw that the plane was situated on a grass runway. Why?) As I climb and turn to the course of southeast, I see a large lake shimmering in the moonlight. I climb up to 11,500 feet to make sure I am well above the soon-invisible terrain. It gets dark quickly, the stars come out, and I remember to turn on the rotating beacon, the strobes, and the position lights. I crank up the rate to 8x, but there is not much to see, so I go to the map and move my position to the last mountain range before Las Vegas. When I come out of the map, I am still at 8x, and quickly get into an unusual attitude, in the dark, in the mountains. I manage to get back to normal speed, recover, and begin my descent to North Las Vegas.
     
    The Microsoft guys did a great job! The entire view is glowing, with some iconic landmarks easily visible. I see the airport beacon right in front of me, so I descend to pattern altitude. With so many lights, it is difficult to keep sight of the runway. As I make my approach, I see the Strip to the south, so I turn to take a low-level tour through downtown. Wow! The casinos are well-lit and well-rendered, with incredible details, including volcanoes, pyramids, the Eiffel Tower, and billboards. I cruise along the west side of the spectacle, then turn left to go back north. Looking down, I realize I am over the Las Vegas airport, with miles of runways and acres of taxiways, all lit up. Airliners are moving on the ground below me. I go back up the other side of the Strip, and fly right over an exploding “volcanoâ€. The attention to detail is incredible. I find my way back to North Las Vegas and make a decent landing.
     
     
    VIRTUAL LOGBOOK:
    PA32-300 N30062 (FS2004)
    From: KHTH (Hawthorne, Nevada) To: KVGT (North Las Vegas)
     
    LOGBOOK:
    May 4, 1997
    PA32-301 N8213Z
    From: HTH (Hawthorne) To: VGT (North Las Vegas)
    SEL 2.8 hrs
  5. gmurray56
    Instead of recreating all the touch-and-go's and staying in the local area, I have decided to skip ahead to my first cross-country flight. I start in San Marcos on runway 35 with the engine running. The Flight Planner has told me to fly a heading of 042 degrees, so off I go. I find it hard to maintain my desired altitude of 2500 feet and the heading at the same time, but eventually it settles down.
     
    I find myself flying through the Austin Bergstrom airspace, which was not an issue in 1989. (Bergstrom was a closed Air Force base at the time.) I watch the airport pass by out the window, one of the few identifiable landmarks for me today. The scenery below is mostly green patches, with an occasional lake or radio tower.
     
    The Map function on the simulator comes in handy, verifying my course. Once the heading and altitude are set, I have some time to play around with views and zooming in and out. I find a virtual cockpit view that lets me see all the instruments and out the windscreen at once, but I do have to change to the other cockpit view to see the instruments better. Again I appreciate the ability to get outside and look at the airplane in flight.
     
    I experiment with the navigation radio, and find that I can tune in the College Station VOR, and I can twist the knob on the indicator to confirm my bearing from the station. The faithfulness of the simulation still amazes me.
     
    It is a long trip, about 45 minutes, and I don’t want to mess with the yoke too much. I realize that I can get up and walk around! The plane keeps flying, and I can get a drink of water or go to the restroom, unlike in a real Cessna 150. (I do not use the autopilot feature because I never did, but most planes are steady and stable.)
     
    Eventually, I can see from the map that I am approaching Hearne. I pull back on the throttle and descend to pattern altitude. I have a little better view of the runway with my zoomed out virtual cockpit, but I pause the simulator on base to confirm my location. Another advantage of flying the computer!
    I land and shut down, and walk away from the desk; I don’t even have to fly back to San Marcos to get my car.
     
    VIRTUAL LOGBOOK​
    First Virtual Cross Country
    C150 SX-BDG (FSX)
    From: KHYI (San Marcos, Texas)
    To: KLHB (Hearne, Texas)
    Landings: 1
    SEL: 0.7 hours
     
    LOGBOOK: March 12, 1989
    First Cross Country
    C152 N5323P
    From: T98 (San Marcos, TX)
    To: T98
    Landings: 3
    SEL: 3.2 hrs/ Dual: 3.2/ Sim.Inst: 0.4
    Remarks: Dual x/c, hood time, pilotage, VOR, T98-Hearne-LNW-T98
  6. gmurray56

    Maine

    By gmurray56,

    Eastport-Houlton: To continue on my journey to the Northeast corner of the U.S., I left the Atlantic behind and headed 355 degrees. Even though the ocean was behind me, there was still plenty of water all around. At 2500 feet, I was higher than any terrain in my path, but I could see individual trees below. Much of my route was in Canada, as shown by the St. Stephen airport identifier (CCS3) when I flew over. Canada out the right window looks just like Maine out the left. The lakes began to be fewer and there was very little sign of humans apart from the occasional highway or railroad. After about 45 minutes, I found the isolated Houlton airport. It is so close to the border, the downwind landing pattern for Runway 23 looks to be in Canada.
     
    Houlton-Frenchville: Still in the Cherokee Six, I took a heading of 003. Interestingly, the woods thinned out and there were more fields, roads, and towns. Still at 2500 feet, I passed over Presque Isle and Caribou in my push North. More and more water began to appear, and there were even some seaplane bases. Eventually I saw the lights at Northern Aroostook Regional Airport. (What a cool name!) I had arrived at Frenchville at the top right corner of the United States. I tried for a smooth landing, but managed to scrape both wingtips. I hope no one was watching. I had made it to my fourth corner! Now to Illinois, to complete the circuit.
     
    Frenchville-Berlin, New Hampshire: From Northern Aroostook Regional I turned the PA-32 south and west, heading 237. At 3500 feet, the rugged ground was less than 2000 feet below. There were mountains on the horizon (to the left this time) and in front. I was amazed by the many big lakes, carved out by ancient glaciers. I was tracking the GPS route, hands free and stable, when I noticed the terrain was rising. Soon I was sandwiched between the bottoms of the scattered clouds and the tops of the hills, when I suddenly hit turbulence! My altitude and course had to be adjusted. I was definitely lower than some peaks. I hand flew the rest of the way, over Moosehead Lake and through the Condor One MOA, into New Hampshire for a landing (just short of the runway) at Berlin Municipal (KBML).
     
    I know for sure the turbulence was not due to my joystick, but to passing over ridges. The logbook function only works if I first change the date, then access the logbook function before flight. I have also found www.skyvector.com to be a helpful source for seamless sectional maps.
  7. gmurray56
    In 1996 I bought a Piper Saratoga (PA-32-301) through an aircraft broker. He flew it from the east coast to Illinois. I flew it from Illinois to Washington. This is a recreation of that flight. Although my plane was a fixed gear Saratoga, the best virtual approximation I have found is a Cherokee Six (PA-32-300). They are almost the same, and I even had more than one controller call me “Cherokee†instead of “Saratogaâ€.
     
    Aurora, Illinois to Sandwich, Illinois: I depart Aurora for Sandwich, just 11 miles away. The clutter on the GPS makes it hard to see where I’m going, and the small private airport is not obvious from looking out the window. I see what may be an airport, with a row of hangars, but the runway has no VASI lights, and by the time I set up for a landing, I am going way too fast. (This plane is a lot faster than the Cherokee 140.) I cartwheel on the runway. Reset. I remember how to declutter the GPS, manage my speed better, and manage to land on the short runway and brake at the very end. I leave my virtual passenger to fly another virtual plane to another virtual client.
     
    Sandwich, Illinois to Sioux Falls, South Dakota: I depart Sandwich and turn northwest. I maintain 291â° all the way across the state of Iowa. The PA32 is steady as a rock. I notice that the engine controls are more like a Cessna than a real Piper, and the instruments seem to be harder to read than in the Cherokee 140. I set the manifold pressure at 24 inches and the prop at 2400 rpm and watch the patchwork of green slide under the plane. After I cross the Mississippi, there is really not a lot to see, so I set the simulation rate at 4x, then at 8x. Communication with ATC is difficult at 8x normal speed. There is nothing but postage-stamp farms below until I cross the Missouri River. Soon enough I am approaching Sioux Falls, so I return to normal speed. I should have started my descent sooner, but I get down from 8500 feet to pattern altitude in time for a normal landing. Again, the speed control is a challenge after flying the Cherokee 140. The landing is a little rough, with a bit of wheel-barrowing on the nose, but it all turns out fine. That long, heavy nose takes some getting used to.
    VIRTUAL LOGBOOK
    PA32-300 N30062 (MS2004)
    From: KARR (Aurora, Il) To: IS65 (Woodlake, Sandwich, Il) To: KFSD (Foss, Sioux Falls, SD)
    LOGBOOK
    PA32-301 N8213Z
    April 26, 1996
    From: ARR (Aurora, Ill) To: IS65 (Woodlake; Sandwich, Ill) To: FSD (Foss; Sioux Falls, SD)
    SEL: 4.1 hrs.
     
    Sioux Falls, South Dakota to Lewistown, Montana: I depart Sioux Falls a little more west of north, to a course of 289â°. The rectangles of green slowly give way to more open pastures, and the green turns to yellow as the terrain rises and the ground is less hospitable. I crank the simulator rate up to 8x and maintain course across the Badlands. The turbulence at 8x speed bounces me around a little, reminding me of the bumpiness of the real flight. As I approach the Montana border, mountains become visible in the distance. There is little sign of civilization: no farms, no roads. Occasional lakes and rivers break up the monotony. Lewistown is soon in front of me, and I descend to the 4,100 ft. elevation airport for a normal straight-in landing.
    VIRTUAL LOGBOOK
    PA32 -300 N30062 (MS2004)
    From: KFSD (Foss, Sioux Falls, SD) To: KLWT (Lewistown, MT)
    LOGBOOK
    PA32-301 N8213Z
    April 27, 1996
    From: FSD (Sioux Falls, SD) To: LWT (Lewistown, MT)
    SEL: 5.0 hrs.
     
    Lewistown, Montana to Pullman/Moscow, Washington: This route is a little south of west, at 254â°. I climb to 6500 feet, then 7500, but the terrain keeps getting higher, too. I skim a few peaks and climb up to 10.500 feet. I look around and there are mountains in every direction, with ridges on the horizon as far as I can see. This entire leg is in the remote mountains, with no place to go in case of engine failure. Fortunately, the sim does not let me down. At 8x speed, there are huge updrafts and downdrafts, and 10,500 feet does not seem that far from the ground. Eventually, the airport at Pullman/Moscow appears as the mountains thin out. At normal speed, I make a straight-in approach. I am starting to get the hang of trim control, pitch and throttle to land with more of a flare and less of a pancake.
    Pullman to Bremerton, Washington: The mountains stay in Montana as I head across the relatively flat, high plains of Eastern Washington. There is lots of yellow and some green farms, but when I reach the Columbia River, there is some dramatic terrain, and I’m in the mountains again. Over the last ridge I can see SeaTac airport in front of me, the Seattle skyline to the right and the majesty of Mt. Rainier to the left. I “talk†to Seattle approach, and descend to cross the airport at 1500 feet. From there, it’s a short jaunt across the ferry-filled Puget Sound to Bremerton. I manage to land without crashing, but still have problems holding the flare.
    VIRTUAL LOGBOOK
    PA-32-300 N30062 (MS2004)
    From: KLWT (Lewistown, MT) To: KPUW (Pullman/Moscow, WA) To: KPWT (Bremerton, WA)
    LOGBOOK
    PA32-301 N8213Z
    April 28, 1996
    From: LWT (Lewistown, MT) To: PUW (Pullman, WA) To: PWT (Bremerton, WA)
    SEL: 5.2 hrs.
  8. gmurray56
    This was an unusual entry in my logbook, a chance to play “fighter pilot for a day.†To recreate the flight, I reluctantly looked at the video again. Reluctantly because, even though I had 400 hours by that time, I did not do that well. It just was not normal to fly in unusual attitudes, even inverted, although the plane did it easily. The video was not that helpful; I heard departure heading from the tower and the altitude, but I could not really tell attitude from the horizon. Plus, this time I would be alone, just banking and turning without an opponent to engage or an instructor on board.
     
    I start on the runway at San Antonio International. The Marchetti SF260 is a beautiful plane, and I admire the views from inside and out. I can even look up through the tinted plexiglass of the roof. I remember to use the Logitech joystick instead of the CH yoke. I start the takeoff roll and break ground around 90 knots, and retract the landing gear as soon as there is a positive rate of climb. I turn to 010Ⱐand climb to 6000 feet. The plane is very responsive, and I do not wait until 30 miles out to start yanking and banking. I start with relatively level circles, then climb and dive while turning, even doing some rolls. This plane is a hoot. I spot a Cessna Grand Caravan in the distance and join up for some loose formation practice. Just like in the real plane, formation flying is harder than it looks. I tend to overcorrect and bounce around, and too easily lose sight. Speed control is difficult, too. I finally leave the big Cessna alone and turn back toward San Antonio. A little more goofing around on the way back, and my phone rings. I figure that I didn’t land the first time (the instructor flew it in after a formation midfield break), so I just exit the program.
     
    Overall, the recreation was fun, but lacking. I will have to go to my WarBirds program and practice dogfighting with the Spitfire to get that thrill.
     
     
    VIRTUAL LOGBOOK:
    SIAI Marchetti SF260 N2600F (FS2004)
    From: KSAT To: Local
     
    LOGBOOK:
    July 27, 1993
    SIAI Marchetti SF260 N68FD
    From: SAT To: Local
    SEL 1.2 hrs
  9. gmurray56
    I flew the sim for the 1st time in about a year. (FS2004, aka FS9, aka A Century of Flight) I have recently retired and moved to Florida, so I wanted to explore the area from the air. The program took forever to load on my ancient pc, but eventually I took off from Ocala in a Cherokee 6. Instead of my normal CH yoke, I had plugged in my Logitech joystick. I soon learned that I had forgotten the functions of multiple buttons (and even keyboard controls!) Throttle and stick. I turned east and soon could see the Atlantic Ocean on the horizon. I turned west, and eventually saw the Gulf of Mexico. Below me, not much to see but varying shades of flat green and occasional lakes. It was kind of boring.
     
    I love to fly low and slow, and FS2004 has the perfect plane for that: the Wright Flyer. Talk about throttle and stick. I flew all the way from launch to the shore at less than 50 feet, dodging trees and buildings.
     
    Next, I looked at the choice of historical recreations and decided to fly a DC-3 from Denver. It was hard to taxi to the active, and wound up just taking off without a runway. The interior views are great, with switches and knobs to remind me how complex this old plane really is. I hit the GPS button, and the glass screen looked so out of place! I didn't want to commit to a long flight, so I just flew to the downtown skyline (with the iconic cash register building.)
     
    Finally, I wanted to do some yanking and banking, so I got into Patty Wagstaff's Extra 300. Woo-hoo! From a very low altitude I could do rolls and pull straight up. From the external view, I zoomed into the cockpit only to see Patty herself wearing aviator sunglasses.
     
    So, I guess I'll have to dust off the manual and renew my passion for flying the computer. I have a few other ancient sims, including WarBirds and Beyond Pearl Harbor, to relearn. Who knows? I may even be inspired to invest in a new computer.
  10. gmurray56

    Beech Duchess

    By gmurray56,

    Maybe I'll go back and recreate some of my adventures in the Cherokee and the Saratoga, but now I'll skip to the end of my flying career. I went back to Texas for a stab at a commercial license, hoping to fly for a living. This is a simulation of my first multiengine lesson. I have successfully installed a Duchess on the FS2004. It looks a little boxy, and compared to the Beech Baron, small and ugly, but it is painted exactly like the one I flew in Georgetown. Inside, the instruments are sparse, with no airspeed indicator and no engine instruments that I can find. The simulation is less than realistic, mostly because my CH yoke has only one throttle, prop, and mixture lever. I am anxious to fly it, though, and rev the engines to depart Georgetown Municipal. It climbs well, and I observe the gear going up from outside the plane. I fly around and enjoy the view from inside and out. The scenery is familiar from my time with the Redbird simulator and from my time in Georgetown. The greens and browns of Texas are back, but at least there is a lake and a river. Even without the multiengine controls, I think I will be able to recreate some of my commercial training, if I can remember how to fly VOR’ s and ILS’s. I return to GTU for a straight-in approach and bounce to a landing.
     
    VIRTUAL LOGBOOK
    Twin Engine: Beech Duchess
    BE76 G-BOFC (FS2004/FS9)
    From: KGTU (Georgetown, Texas)
    To: local
    Landings: 1
    MEL: 0.4 hours
     
    LOGBOOK
    Twin Engine: Beech Duchess
    June 6, 1999
    BE76 N60014
    From: GTU (Georgetown, Texas)
    To: local
    Landings: 3
    MEL (Multiengine Land): 1.4 hours
     
    The only important plane I have left to simulate is the Grob 109 Motoglider. I have found a file, but I have yet to make it work.
  11. gmurray56

    Flying the iPad

    By gmurray56,

    The iPad is an invaluable tool for many real pilots, with flight planning, interactive checklists, moving maps, instrument approach plates, etc. There are also some good flight simulators in the app store. While it may seem odd to fly the tablet by tilting (especially if you are used to a yoke, throttle quadrants, rudder pedals, and multiple displays), the actual flying is surprisingly intuitive.
     
    Here are my favorite FREE simulators:
    DOGFIGHT: This is a WWI simulation, where you pilot a pusher-prop biplane. First you must go through some hoops, then bomb, then dogfight a Red Baron-looking enemy. The scenery is pretty, the plane looks cool, and the flying is fun. If you really like it, you can buy up, and there is apparently quite a large online community.
     
    HISTORICAL LANDINGS: A WWII simulation, where you pilot a gull wing F4U Corsair around islands and from a carrier. Like Dogfight, there is a choice between cockpit and external views, and the scenery is pretty. The gauges do not actually move in the cockpit, but there is a HUD to tell altimeter and airspeed. As with most apps, you can purchase more missions and compete with others on-line.
     
    XTREME SOARING 3D: This is not a combat game, but pure flying. There is no tow plane, but a winch or catapult propels you from the runway and you have to manage your energy and find lift. The graphics are great, and the gauges work. For pure flying, it is my favorite.
     
    AERO! Speaking of pure flying, there is not even an airplane in this one; you pilot a seagull over the ocean. The four forces (lift, thrust, gravity and drag) are shown by vector arrows, but can be turned off. There is also a rocket pack available to get some incredible thrust and altitude.
     
    ROCKET LANDER: While not really a flight simulator (there is no cockpit view and the rocket just goes up and down and sideways), this is a good demonstration of thrust and gravity with no aerodynamic influences.
     
    WIND TUNNEL LIGHT: This demonstrates the aerodynamic forces of lift and drag. The free version just shows an airfoil, some rocks, and a car interacting with particles or with smoke. The paid version allows you to change the airfoil.
     
    NMUSAF: This is NOT a simulator, but it is really cool. It shows the cockpits from many planes at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, including the Space Shuttle. You can look around and zoom in on the multitude of dials, gauges, switches and handles.
     
    Happy Flying!
  12. gmurray56
    Harris Ranch to Red Bluff: I start on the narrow runway, with both wings of the Cherokee extending beyond the pavement. I am already pointing in the direction of my route, so I take off and climb straight ahead. I stay below 3000 feet, as there is no dangerous terrain along the flightpath. The scenery is nice, with lots of green. I crank up the sim rate to 8x and speed through California, trying to maintain a straight line. I bust through the Sacramento airspace, with hardly time to look out the window. Soon I am approaching Red Bluff, and return to normal speed. The runway is straight ahead, and I land straight in. I never had to turn more than 10â° from take-off to landing.
     
    Red Bluff to Bremerton: Again I start on the runway pointing in my direction of flight, 330â°. I take off and climb slowly, slowly to 10,500 feet. At altitude, I stabilize the plane (or try to), then increase the sim speed. Clouds build in front of me as I say goodbye to the central valley. The terrain rises, and I soon see the spectacular Mt. Shasta. After the volcano, the terrain is all green tree-covered mountains until I reach the Columbia River. I blast through the Portland airspace and on into Washington. The green shows more and more blue as I approach the Hood Canal and Puget Sound. I return to normal speed and start searching for Bremerton, which the GPS shows to be right in front of me. I descend to pattern altitude and the airport emerges from the ground clutter. After all this way, I almost screw up the landing by maneuvering too close to the airport and the ground, but manage to land on one wheel without scraping the wing. After a bounce and a slight runway departure, I settle down and taxi to the ramp.
     
    VIRTUAL LOGBOOK
    PA28 -140 OL-DHD (MS2004)
    From: 3O8 (Harris Ranch, Coalinga, CA) To: KRBL (Red Bluff, CA) To: KPWT (Bremerton, WA)
     
    LOGBOOK
    PA28-140 N55633
    March 28, 1993
    From: 3O8 (Harris Ranch, CA) To: RBL (Red Bluff, CA) To: PWT (Brmerton, WA)
    SEL: 7.2 hrs.
  13. gmurray56

    Upper Midwest

    By gmurray56,

    Niagara Falls-Toledo,OH: I glimpsed the Falls out the window of the PA-32 as I left KIAG and turned to 211 degrees, bound for Dunkirk. This route took me across Lake Erie and through some Canadian airspace. At Dunkirk, I turned to follow the shoreline to Erie Intl. (KERI), then on to Cleveland.
     
    The rolling hills gave way to fields, with occasional cities. It was monotonous, green on the left, blue on the right, without even clouds. I did see several radio antennas, plus a cooling tower for a nuclear plant on the lakeshore. I was making good time, with a ground speed near 170 knots. Before long, the Cleveland skyline was visible.
     
    The program generated a Cessna 172 in front of me, above and descending. I watched as the distance ticked down to 1.9 miles as it crossed from right to left. I even got a glimpse of a flickering pixel, but could not make out the plane. On the other side of town, another C172 crossed from left to right, almost at my altitude, getting within 4.9 miles.
     
    I started turning west toward Toledo, again taking me out over Lake Erie. The clouds had returned, and the sun made a nice reflection on the water. Under a gray cloud, it suddenly got turbulent. From the SPOT view, it was interesting to see the plane bounced around. After passing over some islands and a large river mouth, I was back over agricultural fields. Toledo Express (KTOL) came into view, and the landing was uneventful. I couldn’t believe I went so far in an hour and a half.
     
    Toledo-South Bend,IN; The next flight I spawned at Toledo Express pointing the opposite way I needed to go, so I back-taxied before taking off to the west. Trimmed out at 2000 feet, I followed the highway to Indiana. Michigan was out my right window. The land was flat, a patchwork quilt of green, orange and yellow, mainly farms and small towns. At this height, I could see transmission line towers marching along. Eventually a hint of Lake Michigan appeared on the horizon. After a 45-minute flight, the red VASI lights were right in front of me, showing I was below glideslope. When the bottom light turned white, I cut the power and landed straight ahead. Straight out, straight in; that doesn’t happen very often.
  14. gmurray56
    Long Island-Montauk-Block Island: My next flight was again in daytime. I departed Long Island McArthur airport in the Cherokee Six (PA32), leaving the New York City skyline behind. I continued along the island, all the way to Montauk. It is most certainly a long island, at around 100 miles. It was interesting to see green and brown below the plane, with blue on either side. From the tv show The Affair, I had gathered that Montauk is isolated. The view from the air confirmed it. I wasn’t quite ready to land, so I continued a short distance across the water to Block Island for a slightly bumpy landing on the relatively short runway.
     
    Block Island-Martha’s Vineyard: Since I was flying the PA32 to Martha’s Vineyard, I decided to recreate part of a famous ill-fated flight from 1999. I changed the day to night and took off. It was VERY dark, with few lights on shore or in the water. There was no visible horizon. I could see how easy it would be to become spatially disoriented. Eventually I saw the airport beacon and made a safe landing.
     
    Cape Cod-Boston: From Martha’s Vineyard I flew to Cape Cod (Provincetown), then on to Boston. Although I usually just flew at the default date and time (7/21/2003 at 10:15 a.m.), I had set the date to the real date to help with the bug on the logbook. I was pleasantly surprised to look up and see the same waning daytime moon I had seen in real life in my car.
    Most of both legs was over water. Coming in to Boston Harbor, I was struck by the number of fishing boats and sailboats, including one very large sailing ship. I took a tour of downtown but did not recognize anything before landing at Logan.
     
    Portsmouth-Portland-Eastport: The last push to the northeast corner took me along the coast with green turning to orange and brown. If anything, the coastline became even more ragged. No wonder so many towns had “port†in their name. The elevation continued to rise, and eventually I saw islands with distinct hills or small mountains. I finally landed at the small airport of Eastport, surrounded by forest with a final approach between two large trees. Any further and I would have been in Canada.
  15. gmurray56
    I have downloaded a plane like the first one I owned: a Piper Cherokee 140. This is a recreation of the first flight after taking delivery in San Marcos and flying to my tie-down at Austin Mueller. From the outside, it looks much like my Cherokee, except mine had wheel pants on the front gear as well as the mains. The paint scheme, of course, is different, too, but I am excited to fly my old plane on the computer. The interior looks much like I remember, except for a manifold pressure gauge. The bowtie yokes seem a little older style than the ones I had. Overall, it is a remarkable simulation. The view from the cockpit is very familiar. The take-off roll seems to be long, with almost 80 mph IAS before rotation, and the tachometer is way over the red line, but the performance seems fine. I plan to follow the freeway north to Austin, and find it without too much trouble. I occasionally lose it in the green fields, but soon I can see the river in Austin, and then the three yellow X’s of the runways at Mueller. I overfly the airport and make a left downwind for 13 Left. It is not too hard to look out the left window to know when to turn, but I lose concentration working the flaps and let my airspeed drop too quickly. I crash on short final! The flight analysis shows a nice rectangular pattern, and after the simulation resets, I take off again. This time I fly straight out and turn around to land on the big, wide, long parallel runway. The sight picture sits a little lower than the C172, and I hold a lot of power for a fast approach, but this time I land successfully. This will clearly take some getting used to.
    VIRTUAL LOGBOOK
    Piper Cherokee 140
    PA28-140 OY-DHD
    From: KHYI (San Marcos, Texas)
    To: KATT (Austin Mueller, Texas)
    Landings: 2
    SEL: 0.7 hours
     
    LOGBOOK
    Purchase: Piper Cherokee 140
    June 13, 1990
    PA28-140 N55633
    From: T98 (San Marcos, Texas)
    To: AUS (Austin Mueller)
    Landings: 1
    SEL (Single Engine Land): .7 hours
    Remarks: Purchased Cherokee 140 in San Marcos, flew to Austin
    Total to Date: 93.8 hours
  16. gmurray56
    I have decided to fly the FS2004 from Florida to Maine to complete the 4 corners of the continental U.S., and then from Maine to Illinois to complete the circumnavigation. I plan to use only prop planes that I have flown in real life; to disregard airspace restrictions and communication; to not use slew; to go only as far as I feel like flying at the time; but, always to attempt to complete a flight with a landing.
     
    Ocala-Jacksonville: The first leg was from Ocala, Florida northeast to Jacksonville. I flew the Saratoga/Cherokee Six for over an hour up the peninsular state: green, green, and blue with more lakes than I had imagined. The joystick was working fine, and the plane was very stable. After chasing the elevator trim a little, I settled down at about 4500 feet. Eventually there was a very wide and long river/lake that took me straight to the airport. I landed on the huge runway and taxied to the terminal, next to a jetliner. When I exited the program, the error message about the logbook came on. (It kept saying Logbook L, then Ll, then Lllll, etc. could not be found.) So frustrating! It’s not that big of a deal, but it is evidence that my FS2004 may not be well.
     
    Jacksonville-St. Simons-Savannah: The plan was to go straight to Savannah, so I set course along the coast in the Cherokee Six. It was surprising to see all the rivers, inlets, and islands. I was expecting the coast to be more like what I had seen along the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico. No wonder so many people on the Atlantic coast have boats! Georgia slid by under my wings at 2000 feet, and I could see forests, with rising terrain to the west. After about an hour, I was getting bored going in a straight line, even with the interesting views from inside and outside the plane. The map and GPS showed Jekyll Island and St. Simons Island airports ahead, so I decided to land at KSSI. It is a nice little airport, and the VASI lights guided me in. I forgot to lower flaps, so it was a fast landing, but I walked away.
     
    The next flight I pushed on to Savannah. Again, there was the amazing view and the monotony of a straight line. (My daughter thinks it is hilarious that I fly in a straight line. She’s one of those people who think you have to be twisting and turning constantly, and she has no qualms about crashing. My wife thinks it is hilarious that I fly the computer at all.) Halfway to Savannah, I remember that the options menu (alt) lets me switch planes in midair, so I beam into a Beech Baron. After raising the landing gear, my speed is nearly 50% greater. I considered switching back to a single for the landing, but I’m already in the twin, and the long runways allow a noneventful landing.
     
    Savannah-Norfolk: The next few flights were shorter, working my way up the East Coast. Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Wilmington, and New Bern were stops along the way. There were definitely mountains rising far to the west, and the coastline was always intricate. I tried to mix it up by flying a motorglider and an aerobatic plane, but the single engine GA prop planes (C172, PA28, PA32) were the best for a cross-country. I seldom saw other traffic, but a Cessna Caravan kept appearing. Was it following me? Sometimes my route was more east than expected, as the land mass passed below with the ocean out the right window. Eventually, I made it to Norfolk, Virginia. From a recent trip there, I knew there was a highway into the ocean, that turned into a tunnel under the water. I looked and looked, but could not find it. Finally, I landed at Norfolk International (instead of the Naval Air Station.)
  17. gmurray56
    Pro-Log: I have always been fascinated by flight. As a kid, I made plastic models from kits and hung them from my ceiling. I flew balsa wood gliders and the ungainly rubber-band-powered prop planes. I read books about pilots and planes, and even cut out pictures from magazines. However, I never had the opportunity to even touch a real airplane until I was almost 19, and flew my first commercial flight from Houston to San Antonio for basic training in the Air Force. My face was plastered to the little oval window the entire short, parabolic flight. While serving in the Air Force, my job was on the ground but I loved watching the planes on the flight line. The roar of B-52’s and KC-135’s taking off, the long lines of C-130 Hercules practicing cargo drops, and the occasional visits of even more exotic aircraft (like the Thunderbirds or Air Force One) were a never ending source of wonder. The few times I flew commercially or on a HOP (space available transport on Air Force planes), I was enthralled. Never mind that in a C-130 I had no window, I sat on a bench supported by webbing, and I had to wear earplugs; I was flying!
     
    After the Air Force, after college, after grad school, I was still fascinated by flight. I was married, with my first child less than a year old. My wife had inherited some money, and she generously offered to allow me to pursue my dream. I wasn’t really sure if it was a good idea, and I worried and pondered. One night, I saw a small plane top the ridge behind our house, and I wondered aloud, “Is this a sign? Should I do it?†Just then, the plane’s landing light came on! The next day, I called a flight school and arranged to start lessons.
     
    I was hooked, and soon got my license. Then, I got a plane. Later, I got a bigger plane. I eventually flew around 1000 hours as pilot in command. Life happened. I got a divorce. I quit flying. I recently began thinking about it again, and decided to revisit my logbook, to see what I can remember, and attempt to recreate the flights using flight simulation software on my computer.
     
    Virtual Pro-Log: I first saw a computer flight simulator in a video arcade. For a quarter, I could pilot a WWI biplane and attempt to shoot down the enemy. It was very simplistic, not even in color, but it was great fun, and I felt as if I were actually flying! When I got my first computer, a Commodore 64, one of the first games I purchased was a flight simulator. Soon, I had several, including one from Electronic Arts (which I think had an SR-71), and a program from a new company called Microsoft (MSFS – MicroSoft Flight Simulator). I spent hours and hours flying the computer. It was the obsession with simulators that led me to actual planes. However, I didn’t stop flying the computer when I started flying for real. (I was never able to land well on the computer until after I had learned to land a real plane.)
     
    Over the years, I have had multiple computers and multiple flight simulators. I have had joysticks and yokes. I have “flown†all types of aircraft, but I still enjoy general aviation propeller planes. Even with all the practice, however, I feel that I am not very good at it.
     
    Recently, I presented a workshop at the Texas Computer Educators Association (TCEA) entitled “Flight Simulators to Teach STEM.†(STEM is the acronym for science, technology, engineering and math.) In researching for the workshop, I found a local non-profit, Phoenix Arising Aviation Academy, that teaches STEM to kids in afterschool programs and summer camp using flight simulators. I had the opportunity to work with them recently, using FSX with yokes, throttle quadrants, and pedals. What fun! They even have a full-motion simulator, the Redbird FMX, which emulates a Cessna 172.
     
    All this got me to the project of recreating my logbook. I will attempt to “fly†the computer from the same airports, using the same aircraft as I did almost 30 years ago, and I will document my journey. I do not know if it will be boring, or even possible. My second wife has ideas about “flying imaginary airplanes†being a waste of time. Oh, well.
  18. gmurray56

    Giant Volcanoes

    By gmurray56,

    I have flown above and among mountains, but a few are MOUNTAINS. The super massive volcanoes of the Pacific coast dwarf everything around them. I have had the privilege of seeing several close up (but not too close up.) I have recreated these encounters from my logbook.
     
    Mt. Shasta: I depart from Red Bluff, California (KRBL) and turn to heading 340â° on my way to Washington. I climb and climb at 80 mph, eventually leveling off at 8500 feet. (My original goal was 10,500 but I get tired of climbing.) I plod along for half an hour, with mountains below me on either side and occasional glimpses of the Pacific to the west. Clouds are building below me. I go to the map and see no giant mountain, but I know it is on this route. I scroll the map north and there it is! So, I move the plane to a position about 30 miles southwest of it along the planned route. When the new position is established, I look out the windshield and see nothing but a cloud in front of me. The FARS be damned, I fly right through it. When the white mist clears, the view is fantastic. Shasta dominates the horizon. I continue along, passing to the west of the peak at about the level of the bottom of the snowcap. The different views in and out of the plane are awesome. From the nearby airport, my plane is a miniscule speck. The mountain is just massive. At 100 mph, it takes over 30 minutes to pass by. Again I go to the map and move past the Portland airspace. I look out the window to the right, and see the cone of Mt. St. Helens. That will have to wait for another trip. Bremerton is still 2 hours away, so I exit the program. Mountains are on my menu today, not landings.
    VIRTUAL LOGBOOK
    PA28-140 C-FTVW (FS2004)
    From: KRBL To: Mt. Shasta
    LOGBOOK
    March 28, 1994
    PA28-140 N55633
    From: RBL (Red Bluff, CA) To: PWT (Bremerton, WA)

    Mt. St. Helens: I take off in the Cherokee 140 from Bremerton and turn to the southeast, climbing, climbing from almost sea level to 7,500 feet. The scenery is fantastic, with mountains and water all around, but the giant volcanoes stand head and shoulders above the rest. After what seems forever, I reach cruising altitude, but I am still an hour away from my target, so I go to the map and move the plane closer to Mt. St. Helens. She is not as tall or as massive as Shasta, Hood and Rainier on the horizon, but she is without a doubt a volcano. I fly around the crater counter-clockwise. The simulation is beautiful, but pale in comparison to the real thing. After one circuit, I do what I would never do in the real plane: fly into the crater. I make two circles around the lava dome, probably banking more than I should in a Cherokee. Woo-hoo! I exit the crater to the northwest, over a blue lake. I freeze the program and enjoy the different views before exiting the flight. The flight analysis shows alarming proximity to the ground, even at 7,500 feet.
    VIRTUAL LOGBOOK
    PA28-140 C-FTVW (FS2004)
    From: KPWT To: Mt. St. Helens
    LOGBOOK
    March 3, 1995
    PA28-140 N55633
    From: PWT (Bremerton) To: Mt. St. Helens – AST (Astoria) – PWT
     
    Mt. Baker: I start on the ground in the Cherokee 140 at Concrete, Washington. Looking around, I see a white peak to the northwest. I take off and head toward the biggest mountain around. Fortunately, there is a river valley in the general direction, so I climb while the terrain also climbs on both sides. By the time I pass 5,000 feet, I am higher than the surrounding Cascade Mountains but still thousands of feet below the peak of Mt. Baker. This volcano is squattier and less massive than Mt. Shasta, but bigger than Mt. St. Helens. I inspect the south slope from 6500 feet, then turn toward Bremerton. I can see the Olympic Mountains on the horizon and aim about 10 degrees south. I start descending as I approach the coastline, clearing the last ledge as water and islands are in front of me. As I continue, I see traffic in front of me, a Cessna Skylane. The 75-mile trip back to Bremerton gives me time to check the GPS and map, tune the radios, look around, and generally keep busy. Eventually, I am back in familiar territory with KPWT five miles away, hidden by the hills. My wife comes home and I pause the simulator to help unload groceries. I return to the computer, enter the pattern for Bremerton, and crash on the runway! I realize that I have not practiced landing since I started using FS2004 on the new computer. So I start again at Bremerton and shoot a couple of touch-and-goes, using full back elevator and throttle to keep from hitting nose-first. Again, flying is easy; landing is hard.
    VIRTUAL LOGBOOK:
    PA28-140 C-FTVW (FS2004)
    From: 3W5 (Concrete, WA) To: KPWT (Bremerton, WA)
    LOGBOOK:
    September 1, 1995
    PA28-140 N55633
    From: PWT (Bremerton) To: WA13 (Concrete) To: PWT
     
    Mt. Rainier: I take the PA32 (Saratoga/Cherokee Six) from Bremerton to see Mt. Rainier close up. Duplicating the route I took in 1997, I maintain 1500 feet from take-off east to SEA-TAC and cross midfield. There are a lot of planes moving around on the ground and in the air, both big and small. Once past the airport, I had planned to climb through Snoqualmie Pass, but I cannot identify which pass is which, so I just start climbing and turn toward the biggest bump on the horizon. The Six climbs much better than the Cherokee 140, but it still seems to take a long time to get up to 9,500 feet. Rainier already appears huge, but is still very far away, getting bigger by the minute. Even when I feel close, I am miles away. The simulation looks very realistic, with fantastic textures. I climb through 10,000 feet and circle the peak, still 4,000 feet higher. This is truly a majestic mountain. I explore the view from every angle. Finally, I turn back toward the west and start letting down, which seems to take almost as long as the climb. I use the GPS and map for position awareness, and experiment with “talking†to Seattle approach for flight following and permission to enter their airspace. A 747 passes in front of me on approach to SEA-TAC. Below, I see the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, and then a ferry in the water. Soon I am on final to KPWT, where I manage to land without crashing.
    VIRTUAL LOGBOOK:
    PA32-300 N30062 (FS2004)
    From: KPWT (Bremerton, WA) To: KSEA- Mt. Rainier- KPWT
    LOGBOOK:
    September 7, 1997
    PA32-301 N8213Z
    From: PWT – SEA- Mt. Rainier – PWT
  19. gmurray56
    In Austin, Texas, there is a place where you can fly top-of-the-line simulators, including the Redbird FMX full-motion simulator for only $35 per month. Phoenix Arising Aviation Academy is a 501©(3) non-profit, the brainchild of Zay Collier, pilot and programmer. Phoenix Arising uses simulators to inspire youth to study STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math.) In summer camps and after-school programs, students are introduced to the joys and challenges of simulated flight.
     
    In addition to over a dozen PC's running FSX, there are FAA-approved sims for more realistic training. Professional-grade simulators include the Avidyne, the Redbird TD, and the Redbird AOPA Jay. The most fun, however, is the Redbird FMX. The motion and multiple screens in the enclosed cockpit convey a real feeling of flight. To subsidize the $60,000 investment, pilots had been able to rent the FSX for loggable time for a fraction the cost of a real plane. Now, however, with the Flight Club, the cost to rent is minimal.
     
    I was an instructor at the summer camp last year, so I got to spend a lot of time in the right seat teaching kids to take off, fly a pattern, and land. The scenarios are practically endless. Whether you are a pilot or a simulator afficianado, if you have a chance, check it out. You just might get hooked.
  20. gmurray56
    We had moved from Austin, Texas, to Port Orchard, Washington. I had made the drive to get the cars to our new state, but debated whether to sell the Cherokee and get a new one or to fly it across the country. I finally decided to fly: 22.4 hours solo over four days. I arrived on March 28. Almost two weeks later, I had a chance to fly around and get the lay of the land. The long cross-country had been an adventure, but now I wanted just to fly for fun.
     
    I configure the simulator for Bremerton and materialize on Runway 1. Looking around, the topography is just as I remember, even to the big hill just north of the airport. I take off and fly over Bremerton. All around me are the waterways and mountains, so different from the scenery in Texas. Across the Puget Sound is Seattle, and I can see the white glint of the Space Needle. Below me are the shipyards, complete with docks, but I see no ships. I turn to cross to Port Orchard, and there is Mt. Rainier, white and regal. I circle over the Port Orchard area, then head back to Bremerton International after spotting the beacon. I land a little hot and a little above the glideslope, but I don’t crash. I am still amazed at the fidelity of the simulation. I am getting used to flying the Cherokee, but I am wondering if it will be possible to fly on instruments. I found that there is no F10 instrument panel, just a bird’s eye view without any cockpit. That makes for some thrilling scenery, but I can only fly by instinct, not instruments.
    VIRTUAL LOGBOOK
    Bremerton 1st Flight
    PA28-140 OY-DHD (FSX)
    From: KPWT (Bremerton, Washington)
    To: local
    Landings: 1
    SEL: 0.4 hours
     
    LOGBOOK
    New Home Base: Bremerton
    April 9, 1994
    PA28-140 N55633
    From: PWT (Bremerton, Washington)
    To: local
    Landings: 3
    SEL: 0.4 hours
  21. gmurray56
    In January 1990, I earned my private license. The flight school in San Marcos had closed, so I had been forced to finish in Austin. It was different, with a control tower and commercial flights landing on the parallel runway, but it was closer to home. About two weeks after my private pilot checkride, I rented a Cessna 172 and got checked out. This is a recreation of that flight.
     
    This was not my first flight in the FSX Cessna 172. I have flown it at home with my CH Products yoke, and I have flown the FS2004 version many times. This summer, I flew the FSX 172 with the Saitek yoke, throttle quadrant, and rudder pedals at Phoenix Arising Aviation Academy in Austin. Phoenix Arising is an aviation-themed summer camp/after school program founded by Zay Collier. I taught boys and girls ages 7-15 how to fly the simulator. Although they mostly wanted to fly the F-18, I insisted they practice with the C172 in preparation for time in the Redbird FSX full-motion simulator. The Redbird is very realistic. I sat in the right seat and had them practice landings before showing off on a flight with their parents on the last day of camp.
     
    I want to recreate that first flight from Austin in a C172, but it is not easy. For one thing, the FSX Austin Mueller airport has big yellow X’s painted on the runways. In 2000, the city’s major airport was moved from downtown to the re-purposed Bergstrom Air Force base. (I was actually visiting Austin at the time. I flew in on a commercial flight to Mueller and flew out from Bergstrom.) At least FSX still has the runways. In real life, the airport property has been converted to housing, retail, and a children’s hospital, but the control tower still stands.
     
    I appear on the taxiway between the parallel 13-31 runways. I taxi to the general aviation side of the field and prepare for take-off. Looking around inside the plane, everything looks familiar. Outside, the plane looks just as it should: a bigger and boxier version of the 152. Looking around the airport, the control tower is still there, and the aprons and runways are in the right place, but there are no hangars or terminals.
     
    The sight view from the cockpit seems slightly higher than the 152, sort of like sitting in a truck. I depart to the southeast and fly a very decent left hand pattern to a nice landing. I take off again to look around the city of Austin. Maybe it is my old, slow computer, but the scenery details are not what I expected. At Phoenix Arising, I have seen the downtown area with skyscrapers and even an attempt at the state capitol, but the only building I see is a factory where the capitol should be. At least the topography is right, down to the river bisecting the city and the cluster of transmission towers in the hills to the west.
     
    I find my way back to Mueller (no controllers to talk to), and make a direct approach to 13 Left (no airliners to worry about.) Another decent landing at the airport that was my home base for over two years.
     
    VIRTUAL LOGBOOK
    C172 G-BAFM (FSX)
    From: KATT (Austin Mueller, Texas)
    To: KATT (Austin Mueller, Texas)
    Landings: 2
    SEL: 1.1 hours
     
    LOGBOOK
    February 12, 1990
    C172 N4908D
    From: AUS (Robert Mueller Airport, Austin, Texas)
    To: 3R3-AUS (Austin Executive-Austin Mueller)
    Landings: 3
    SEL (Single Engine Land): 1.3 hours
    Remarks: AC systems, climbs, descents, level off, sim forced landing, traffic pattern, take-off, landing, cross-wind landing
    Dual: 1.3 hours
  22. gmurray56
    I flew my Cherokee 140 from Texas to Washington in 1993 over a four day period. This is a recreation of that flight.
     
    Leander to Burnet: Before the long trip, I had the plane inspected by a mechanic. His shop was at Pegasus Place, a grass field in Leander, Texas. For a realistic recreation, I set the time and season to a March morning and adjust the fuel and payload to minimums for the soft field take-off. The wheels are off before the end of the runway, and I turn to the northwest for my first stop for fuel, an hour away. It has been a while since I flew the Cherokee, but it all comes back. Soon I see Lake Buchanan and the airport, and despite a rather wide pattern, have an uneventful landing.
     
    Burnet to El Paso: I fill the tanks, plan the flight, and take to the air. I climb to 6,500 feet and point just a little north of due west. I am determined to sit and hand-fly all the way to El Paso. The greens of the Texas Hill Country fill the views. I look at the map and play with the GPS, which tends to make my course and altitude wander a bit. An hour into it, I switch the tanks and see the greens giving way to yellows as the elevation rises beneath me. I am still pushing on the yoke to keep from climbing, even though the trim switch on the CH is full down. I experiment with the trim switch in the cockpit view and with a lot of fine tuning, can release pressure and stay level. I try to do the same with the rudder trim, but it always seems to go slightly one way or the other, so I can never really fly hands-off for long. After more than two hours, I get up to use the bathroom. (Hooray for simulators!) The GPS says El Paso is still over two hours away. I “talk†to ATC and get flight following, I see random traffic in the air, and the ground turns from yellow to brown. At 100 miles per hour, it feels like I’m standing still. Finally, I give up on realism. I increase the simulation rate to 4X and fly the Cherokee like a jet. About 30 miles from El Paso, I go back to normal speed. I contact Approach Control and get a clearance to land at El Paso International. I land, but not on the runway I was cleared for. Oh, well.
     
    VIRTUAL LOGBOOK
    PA28 -140 OL-DHD (MS2004)
    From: 8XS3 (Pegasus Place, TX) To: KBMQ (Burnet Municipal, TX) To: KELP (El Paso Intl., TX)
     
    LOGBOOK
    PA28-140 N55633
    March 25, 1993
    From: 8XS3 (Pegasus Place, TX) To: T27 (Burnet Municipal, TX) To: ELP (El Paso Intl., TX)
    SEL: 5.1 hrs.
  23. gmurray56
    Two years had passed since my move to Washington. The Cherokee 140 had reached TBO and my family had grown, so I had persuaded my wife to buy a bigger airplane. After much research, I decided on a Piper Saratoga. It was very similar to the Cherokee, but with six seats and an engine twice as powerful. I had taken instruction in a Piper Arrow (a more powerful, retractable gear Cherokee) and in a retractable Saratoga to learn the constant propeller and the moving landing gear. Eventually, I found a fixed gear Saratoga and flew it from Aurora, Illinois, to Bremerton. After a couple of local flights, I took the Saratoga on one of my favorite outings, along the coast of the Olympic Peninsula to the Northwest corner of the continental United States. The 300-hp engine easily pulled me up above the Olympics, and, as usual, the scenery was stunning. Alpine lakes, virgin forests, and glaciers to my left and the Puget Sound and inlets from the Pacific studded with islands to my right, with the Cascade Mountains in the distance and the snow capped volcanic peak of Mt. Baker. The beauty was exquisite, and I was alone in the air. I turned inland and flew back over the mountains toward home. I could not resist the urge to let down through the river valley back to the Hood Canal. It had a measure of risk, but so did all flying. It was selfish, it was wasteful, to fly alone with no real destination, but I was happy.
     
    I search the Internet for a fixed gear Saratoga and finally find one, but it is for FS2004. Luckily, I have that program as well as FSX. After some hassle, it finally is installed and I am anxious to fly. I start off at Tacoma Narrows, close to the Narrows Bridge. It is another beautiful simulation, but the virtual cockpit’s instruments are just dummies. That’s okay, I just give it full throttle and take off. Once airborne, I pull back on the throttle and the prop just a little, and it seems to work. I cruise along the Puget Sound, and below me I see ferries! The earlier program appears to have better scenery on this computer. I head northwest along the Olympic Peninsula, and discover that instruments are available with the “W†key, so it gives me a little more precise control. This aircraft certainly climbs better than the virtual Cherokee. I see Mt. Olympus, and in this version, the glacier is visible. I turn back toward Bremerton, and Mt. Rainier is standing there in the distance, with an almost full moon beside it. Beautiful! I pull back on the throttle and descend between the mountain ridges on both sides. I can certainly see why someone would prefer this to flying over the featureless expanse of Central Texas. Even though I know I don’t have to, I fly the pattern at Bremerton and land. The new virtual plane has its drawbacks, and I have gone out of sequence in my recreations, but this is fun, and it has only cost me some electricity and some time.
    VIRTUAL LOGBOOK
    Olympic Peninsula Piper Saratoga
    PA32-301 N18ST (FS2004/FS9)
    From: KTIW (Tacoma Narrows, Washington)
    To: KPWT (Bremerton, Washington)
    Landings: 1
    SEL: 0.4 hours
     
    LOGBOOK
    Olympic Peninsula Piper Saratoga
    May 25, 1996
    PA32-301 N8213Z
    From: PWT (Bremerton, Washington)
    To: local
    Landings: 1
    SEL: 1.6 hours
  24. gmurray56
    This was one of my favorite flights, to the Pacific coast from Bremerton. I use the Saratoga (FS2004) to recreate the 60-mile flight. When I appear on the runway, I look at the instruments only to see black holes where the gauges should be. There is an autopilot and ADF, but no nav radios. In the virtual cockpit, there is a full array of instruments and radios, but they are static and somewhat out of focus, for looks only. However, “alt†and “w†give me a panoramic view to the front, with instruments along the bottom of the screen. No nav radios, but the basic six (Attitude Indicator, Turn Coordinator, Artificial Horizon, Directional Gyro, Altimeter, and Vertical Speed Indicator) allow me to follow the planned route. Engine controls can be monitored by sound and performance. So, off I go to the southwest.
     
    Soon after takeoff I get the power settings and trim wheel stable. I see the bottom of the Hood Canal slide under the plane, while the Olympic Mountains parallel to the right, getting smaller and further away. The terrain is all green in the Evergreen State. Soon, I see an inlet and then the Pacific. In the inlet, in the water, is a runway: Hoquiam. I fly beyond the airport, out over the ocean. I turn back inland, and there, on the beach, is the Ocean Shores runway. A few more miles, and I enter the pattern for Hoquiam. It is a beautiful final approach, with water on both sides of the runway. I land, ready for a virtual hamburger.
    VIRTUAL LOGBOOK
    PA32-301 N18ST (FS2004)
    From: KPWT (Bremerton, WA) To: KHQM (Hoquiam, WA)
    LOGBOOK
    September 17, 1996
    PA32-301 N8213Z
    From: PWT (Bremerton, WA) To: HQM (Hoquiam, WA) To: PWT
    SEL: 1.2
  25. gmurray56
    I knew it would happen eventually: my old Dell running Windows Vista finally gave up the ghost. So, I got a refurbished Dell with a faster processor, more RAM, and Windows 7. Hopefully, there will be no more "fatal errors" when flying.
     
    However, I have lost my FSX disk. Gone. I still have FS2004, but Disk 4 was stuck in the old, dead, computer. With a little research, I remembered the trick of putting a straightened paper clip into the hole to eject the disk, but my wife could not understand why I was getting "frantic" about "a stupid game."
     
    Before I started recreating my flight log, I had never imported a plane file, but now it seems so easy (when it works.) I got the same Cherokee 140 I had used on FSX, no problem. I tried to get the fixed-gear Saratoga, but it just wouldn't work. Finally, I settled on a Cherokee Six; it is still a PA32, after all. I installed it and it is beautiful! The panel even works!
     
    I was in such a hurry to see it, I didn't change the default airport from SEA-TAC for the short trip to Bremerton. I was thrilled to see all the gauges working and even the ferries in the Puget Sound. I made a perfect landing at KPWT, but then I rolled off the taxiway and through some trees. Right through them; the crash detection was not on. Maybe my landing wasn't so perfect.
     
    So, it seems I don't need FSX after all. I just don't understand why the Port Orchard airport is 4WA9 in FS2004 and 0S8 on FSX (and in my logbook.)

    VIRTUAL LOGBOOK:
    From: KSEA (Seattle Tacoma Intl.)
    To: KPWT (Bremerton, WA)
    PA32-300 N30062

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